Associate Director/Director, Computational Chemistry

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) – a biopharmaceutical company with operations in Vancouver, BC, Canada and Boston, MA, USA – is committed to delivering innovative medicines to provide a brighter future for patients suffering from neurological disorders. 

At Xenon, we are advancing an exciting pipeline of neurology-focused therapies, with a particular emphasis on novel treatments for both adult and pediatric patients with epilepsy. XEN496 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 3 “EPIK” clinical trial in young patients with KCNQ2-DEE, a rare and severe form of childhood epilepsy. Late-stage development plans are also underway for our XEN1101 program, building upon the compelling data from the Phase 2b “X-TOLE” study in adult patients with focal epilepsy. We are also proud of the leading-edge science coming out of our discovery labs, with many early-stage research programs underway. In addition to Xenon’s proprietary programs, we have ongoing collaborations with our valued pharmaceutical partners. With a healthy balance sheet to support our growth plans, we continue to build a fully-integrated, premier neuroscience company with strong discovery, development, and commercial operations.

Our employees are smart, passionate, dedicated, and driven by their incredibly important work to discover, develop, and deliver new medicines for patients in need. Building and maintaining a respectful, collaborative, inclusive, and productive culture is a priority for us.  We are looking for great people who thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment to join our team during this transformative time for Xenon.

We are seeking an Associate Director/Director, Computational Chemistry to join our team. This individual has expertise in molecular modeling, computer aided drug design, virtual screening, as well as the development of in silico models to guide drug design. This individual has solid theoretical and practical knowledge of molecular modeling, chemoinformatics, virtual screening, QSAR, and data mining. A keen interest in hypothesis-driven drug discovery, strong problem solving skills, and the ability to work in a team environment by engaging with cross-functional scientists are key elements of the role. The Associate Director/Director has a track record of accomplishments which demonstrates technical proficiency, independent thinking, problem solving ability, and scientific creativity. Importantly, this individual has excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.

This position reports to the Vice President, Medicinal and Computational Chemistry and will be located in either the Vancouver, BC, Canada or Boston, MA, USA location.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead Xenon’s computational chemistry strategy to support small molecule design and optimization.  Ensure Xenon is highly competitive and utilizing cutting edge technology and strategies.
• Closely collaborate with Xenon’s IT group to evaluate and adjust computational chemistry software and hardware for use in preclinical programs.
• Improve the quality of drug design by introducing computational chemistry methodologies to enhance the utility of X-ray/cryoEM/homology structures, small molecule molecular modeling, in silico modeling, chemical library design, data mining and chemoinformatics. Develop strategies to enhance our drug design capabilities, identify quality chemical leads for new projects, and develop high quality candidates for clinical development.
• Closely collaborate with Xenon’s medicinal chemists and cross-functional scientists.
• Present research to colleagues within and outside the Chemistry Department and Drug Discovery group.
• Manage both internal and external computational chemists/scientists. Provide guidance, support, and training in areas of molecular modelling. 
• As a leader within Xenon, participate in and contribute to Discovery Leadership meetings and initiatives, including interdisciplinary initiatives such as identifying new targets for future projects.
• International travel may be required.
• Plan and manage budget proposals and approved budgets in accordance with the Company’s strategic and operating plans and Finance policies in collaboration with Discover management. 
• Recruit, lead, direct, develop, coach and evaluate direct reports, if any, in accordance with the Company’s Human Resource policies and practices.
• Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• PhD in Computational Chemistry (or equivalent) with a minimum of 7+ years of related experience.
• Demonstrated significant impact on drug discovery programs through his/her support of biology and chemistry functions.
• Broad understanding of medicinal chemistry as it applies to lead optimization and Hit-to-Lead campaigns. 
• Experience and excellence in professional mentorship and development of junior computational chemists.
• Ability to support multiple programs simultaneously. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong interpersonal skills.
• Experience with molecular dynamics simulations is preferred.
• A keen interest in hypothesis driven drug discovery, strong problem solving skills and the ability to work in a team environment by engaging with cross-functional scientists are key elements of the role. 
• Demonstrated impact on Hit-to-Lead campaigns via design of compounds and triaging of screening results are considered a plus, particularly in the area of ion channels.